Originally Posted by greenlightracer
I was actually going to start a thread about this myself. My issue is that I never use 5th gear... literally, never. Maybe 10 times since I owned the car. I go right from 4th to 6th... there is little reason to go to 5th. 4th does all the acceleration I need.
5th simply isn't far enough from 6th to provide passing power too...
My shift pattern is usually straight across, for the most part. Mostly 2-4-6.
If I'm starting on a hill, then I'll usually do 1-3-5-6, unless it's a steep hill, then I may throw second in there.
Passing on the highway, once you're above 90, 5th is usually fine.
Getting onto the highway - 3rd coming off the ramp and, if there's a bit of traffic and I need to work my way to the left lane, stay in 3rd so I can work on/off the gas, then blast off in the left lane.